UNHCR chief Guterres urges support for 2009 Humanitarian Appeal

High Commissioner Guterres addresses a press conference with other dignitaries in Abu Dhabi before the global launch of the 2009 Humanitarian Appeal.

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, November 24 (UNHCR) – High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres, representing the United Nations system, on Monday appealed to the international community to help meet the needs of tens of millions of the world's most vulnerable people.

As keynote speaker at the launch of the 2009 Humanitarian Appeal in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Guterres said US$7 billion was needed by UN agencies and some 360 different non-governmental organizations to care for 30 million people in 31 countries around the world next year.

"At this moment, millions of people across the world are experiencing insecurity as their daily reality – war and natural disasters – threaten their existence," he said in prepared remarks for Monday night's appeal launch. "They don't have access to the essentials of life, including clean water, health care and shelter. Given the sheer scale of the task ahead, it is clear that no single organization, government or donor can tackle it alone."

Speaking to reporters earlier, the High Commissioner said that compared to the hundreds of billions of dollars being spent by governments worldwide on rescuing financial institutions, the amount being sought by humanitarian agencies was relatively limited.

"I do not know any bank whose rescue was less than US$7 billion," Guterres said. "I believe when the world is spending hundreds of billions of dollars to rescue the financial system, it's a moral obligation that the same determination is shown to rescue people around the world who are victims of conflict, victims of natural disasters, victims of the modern trend of climate change and extreme poverty."

Quoting from a Bob Marley song, Guterres said "a hungry man is an angry man." Humanitarian support is not just a question of charity, he added, but shows enlightened self-interest by those who understand that such support is the best way to preserve world peace.

The Abu Dhabi launch, the first in the region, was hosted by Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, deputy prime minister of the UAE and president of the UAE Red Crescent. Guterres thanked Sheikh Hamdan for reaffirming his country's commitment to the plight of millions of people in need.

"The United Arab Emirates, a country with a long tradition of generosity and support for humanitarian causes and Islam, is a solid foundation for international refugee law," said Guterres. "All the norms that form today the basis of international law come from the Islamic values and traditions. The civilian character of asylum is intrinsic to Islamic values."

The 2009 Humanitarian Appeal is the largest since the creation of the Consolidated Appeal Process in 1991. It comprises 12 appeals for the Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq and region, Kenya, the occupied Palestinian territory, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda, the West African region and Zimbabwe.

Southerners on the move before Sudanese vote

Ahead of South Sudan's landmark January 9, 2011 referendum on independence, tens of thousands of southern Sudanese in the North packed their belongings and made the long trek south. UNHCR set up way stations at key points along the route to provide food and shelter to the travellers during their arduous journey. Several reports of rapes and attacks on travellers reinforced the need for these reception centres, where women, children and people living with disabilities can spend the night. UNHCR has made contingency plans in the event of mass displacement after the vote, including the stockpiling of shelter and basic provisions for up to 50,000 people.

Southerners on the move before Sudanese vote

South Sudan: The Long Trip Home

When the peace treaty that ended 21 years of civil war between north and south Sudan was signed in 2005, some 223,000 Sudanese refugees were living in Uganda – the largest group of Sudanese displaced to a neighbouring country.

Despite South Sudan's lack of basic infrastructure, such as schools, hospitals and roads, many Sudanese were eager to go home. In May 2006, the UN refugee agency's Uganda office launched an assisted repatriation programme for Sudanese refugees. The returnees were given a repatriation package, including blankets, sleeping mats, plastic sheets, mosquito nets, water buckets, kitchen sets, jerry cans, soap, seeds and tools, before being transported from the transit centres to their home villages. As of mid-2008, some 60,000 Sudanese living in Uganda had been helped back home.

As of the beginning of May 2008, some 275,000 Sudanese refugees had returned to South Sudan from surrounding countries, including Uganda, Ethiopia, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Kenya. Some 125,000 returned with UNHCR assistance.

Posted on 16 July 2008

South Sudan: The Long Trip Home

UNHCR/Partners Bring Aid to North Kivu

As a massive food distribution gets underway in six UNHCR-run camps for tens of thousands of internally displaced Congolese in North Kivu, the UN refugee agency continues to hand out desperately needed shelter and household items.

A four-truck UNHCR convoy carrying 33 tonnes of various aid items, including plastic sheeting, blankets, kitchen sets and jerry cans crossed Wednesday from Rwanda into Goma, the capital of the conflict-hit province in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The aid, from regional emergency stockpiles in Tanzania, was scheduled for immediate distribution. The supplies arrived in Goma as the World Food Programme (WFP), with assistance from UNHCR, began distributing food to some 135,000 displaced people in the six camps run by the refugee agency near Goma.

More than 250,000 people have been displaced since the fighting resumed in August in North Kivu. Estimates are that there are now more than 1.3 million displaced people in this province alone.

Posted on 6 November 2008

UNHCR/Partners Bring Aid to North Kivu

Cameroon: High Commissioner Meets Nigerian Refugees

In Minawao camp, Cameroon, Nigerian refugees get a chance to tell their stories to High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres during his visit.

Iraq: Heartbreak at the Border

As the Syria crisis enters a fifth year, Syrians continue to seek safety abroad. But desperation is driving some to return to their war-torn country.

Chad: A Nigerian Child Alone

Thousands of refugees have fled militant attacks in Nigeria and sought safety in Chad. They include at least 100 children who have been provided shelter by other families.